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Friday, May 19, 2017

I'm still shaking a little bit... from the excitement, and well, the reality that it's really happening.

I signed a contract to write a cookbook today! I was honored to be contacted by Herald Press to write a cookbook. They are a Christian company and I felt it was God's leading in my life. I have wanted to write a cookbook but wasn't sure at which point in my life would be best. I was thinking it would be more like when I was 40. The more I thought and prayed about it, God seemed to think that now was a good time. As well as my sister, Faith, who says you only get busier as your children get older:) She's also offered her two older boys to come keep Caroline some days while I write.

I am excited to be able to have all my recipes in one place. I still look up my recipes on my blog from my phone; and have the biggest mess of handwritten recipes one ever did see. If no one buys my cookbook at least I will be happy to have them organized:)

There will be photos for each recipe.

I don't want this to be about me; but about giving glory to our great Creator who gave us creative minds and beautiful foods to cook with. I want to teach others to cook from scratch and create inspiration to help feed your family well.

There will be some lifestyle photos mixed in.

So if you don't see much of me here, I am working on new recipes for you!

Monday, April 3, 2017

Caroline turned three yesterday so we celebrated with a butterfly party. She reminds me of a butterfly fluttering around- so it seemed fitting to use butterflies as a theme. This year her birthday really seemed to 'click' and she anticipated the day for weeks. She brings so much joy to our home- we are so grateful for her precious life.

Thursday, December 29, 2016

I've been wanting to post before and after photos of our kitchen for a long time. Every time I start- I quit because our kitchen doesn't have much natural light and it's hard to take photos in. I decided to buckle down today and take them whether they looked dreamy or not:) I had just cleaned and organized all my kitchen cabinets so I figured that today was a "now or never" moment.

Most of our home as been a 'work in progress' from 2010. And if you have lived in your home while remodeling it- you appreciate the end products a LOT. My kitchen still needs a pantry and a cabinet framed around our double ovens but a lifetime table from Costco does the trick for now:)

We will start with the before:

Before we tore into it. The cabinet doors were bowed due to being made with wood that wasn't dried properly. The island had two cracks in it from the same issue.

I was 8 months pregnant when my kitchen looked like this. We used our bathroom for a kitchen. Oh, and was on bed rest as well:) We made it through!

We used the same cabinet bases and made new doors. Josh did a LOT of the work himself. I'm one lucky wife.

If your home has ever looked like this due to remodeling raise your hand!

and the after...

I know, I know. I have lots of copper. Some claim it's out of style now- but I love it still. It's one thing that fits with our 'more rustic' home and I love collecting it!

I love this utensil bar from Ikea. I like things to look nice but they MUST pass the practical test! I like having a place for everything.

Yard sale planter.

I love my hammered, copper sink!

Above the refrigerator.

Josh sanded and refinished all those beams, by HAND.

I can wipe them now without tearing holes in my cloth:)

I recently added this table on the right. It's always nice to

have extra space to place your groceries on when your

kitchen counters are full of dirty dishes:)

I have dreamt of a sideboard for this space below our open shelves for so long. I finally found one on Craigslist. It was a good deal but came with a price:) Turns out once we get it home it's a fancy office desk with a motor in the bottom to raise your computer screen. See the hole in the top? And it was heavy as an elephant. I'm serious. The couple claimed it was a solid sideboard and that's why it weighed so much. We opened the first three drawers (that worked) and said we'd take it! Once we got it home and found a motor inside I could have bawled. The front two doors don't open but Josh is going to convert it over one of these fine days. Things are not always as perfect as they seem:)I still love it! Hole in the top and all:)

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

It's been awhile since I've sat down and said "hello". I'm so grateful for the amount of folks who say they still use recipes from this stagnant blog:) One day I hope to get back into creating recipes regularly...

I Recently wrote an article for the Daughters of Promise magazine. It is on

"Cultivating a Restful Holiday", a 10-page assortment of Christmas decor tips, recipes, and gift ideas. To purchase a copy or digital subscription head over to here.

My newest hobby is finding treasures for my "hopefulthings boutique" situated in my sister's fabric shop. It really has been a fun adventure for me. I was in no way looking to start a business. My sister and her friend decided to move their fabric shop from a home based; pop-up shop to a retail space on Main Street in Dayton. They had some extra space so they suggested I sell some of my extra antiques and home decor.I consented and have really enjoyed it!I'm not in it for the money... It's simply an outlet for me; and I can still keep the home fires burning.

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Hello, I am Hope, the one behind hopefulthings. I enjoy creating recipes, entertaining guests, gardening, graphic design and photography. I strive to use the gifts God has given me to glorify Him. Enjoy your stay.

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